Lesson 18: A Raisin in the Sun, Debate, Part 2

Partner students with someone who debated the same side as them in Lesson 17. Give students a moment to pull out their Lesson 17 evidence before speaking.

Invite students to sit with their partners and place their evidence where both partners can see them.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Having explored Mama's decision through debate in our last lesson, today we return to that same question with a new challenge: strengthening your oral arguments through more precise evidence, more effective rebuttals, and more compelling closings.

• Ask: Which debate move felt strongest for you in Lesson 17—claim, evidence, rebuttal, or closing—and which move do you want to improve today?

  • My strongest move was my claim because I could clearly say that Mama acted to protect the family. I want to improve my rebuttal today because sometimes I repeated my point instead of answering the other side directly.

Partner A, share first for 30 seconds. Partner B, listen for one specific move your partner wants to strengthen. Then switch.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Students have named a goal for their own speaking, so now they are ready to review exactly what effective debate sounds like in this lesson’s protocol.

Use this review to tighten students’ use of the exact debate moves they will use in Learning in Action Part A. Keep the model short and focused on how one speaker moves from claim to evidence to rebuttal to closing.

Debate Protocol

Say these Directions: A structured debate has four moves: claim, evidence, rebuttal, and closing. Today, we are not just sharing opinions; we are building a case from evidence in the play and responding directly when another speaker challenges us.

Structured Debate

• Say: My claim is that Mama was right to buy the house because she was trying to protect her family’s future.

• Say: My evidence comes from the moment when she says she chose the nicest place for the least amount of money for her family.

• Say: If the other side argues that Walter should have been consulted first, my rebuttal is: “Although Walter deserved a voice, the text shows the family was falling apart and Mama believed someone had to act.”

• Say: My closing restates the stakes: “This debate is really about dignity, safety, and who gets to make a decision when every option is shaped by unfair systems.”

Briefly name the protocol moves after the model.

• Claim: your position

• Evidence: the text landmark and detail that support your position

• Rebuttal: a direct response to the other side’s idea

• Closing: a final sentence that shows why your side’s reasoning is strongest

• Ask: What is your one-sentence claim about Mama’s decision, and what piece of evidence will you use first?

• • My claim is that Mama was right to buy the house because she was thinking about the whole family’s future. My first piece of evidence is the moment in Act I, Scene 2 when she explains why she chose that house.

• Say: Take 30 seconds to rehearse quietly. Then share with your partner. Use one claim sentence and one piece of textual evidence introduced by a connector.

Sentence Stems for Today’s Debate

• Claim: My position is that Mama was / was not right because . . .

• Evidence: In the moment when . . . , Hansberry shows  . . .

• Rebuttal: I hear your point; however, the text also shows . . .

• Rebuttal: Although you argued . . . , the stronger evidence is . . .

• Closing: Overall, the strongest argument is . . .

• Closing: This matters because . . .

Discussion Norms

• Respond to the idea, not the person.

• Use a text landmark before giving evidence.

• Let the speaker finish before rebutting.

• Rebut with reasoning, not repetition.

• Use formal speaking moves even when you disagree.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Students now know the moves and language of the protocol, so they are ready to rehearse their own strongest evidence before the full debate.

Part A: Rehearse Your Best Case (SL.7.4) (12 minutes)

Students use their Lesson 17 evidence to continue supporting them with the debate. Partners should be on the same side first so they can sharpen evidence before the mixed-side debate.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Take out your evidence from Lesson 17. Star the two pieces of evidence you think are strongest, then rehearse a 20-second opening claim and a 20-second rebuttal with your same-side partner.

• Ask: Which piece of evidence is strongest for your side, and why will it persuade a listener?

  • My strongest evidence is the moment when Mama says she wanted the nicest place for the least amount of money for her family. It will persuade a listener because it shows she was not acting selfishly; she was trying to create a better future within unfair housing choices.

• Say: Share your strongest evidence with your partner and explain why it is persuasive. Then help each other revise one claim or one rebuttal. You have four minutes.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Students have now chosen and rehearsed their strongest evidence, so they are ready to test their ideas against the other side in a full debate.

Part B: Full Structured Debate Rounds (SL.7.1.c, SL.7.1.d) (18 minutes)

Place students in groups of four whenever possible, with two students arguing each side. Track speaking turns and evidence accuracy as students debate. If a group has five, the fifth student begins as a listener and jots one strong rebuttal they hear before joining the second round.

Structured Debate

Say these Directions: Now we move into full debate rounds. You will use the same question from Lesson 17:

• Was Mama right to buy the house without consulting Walter?

Each speaker must use a claim, evidence, rebuttal, and closing. Listeners, jot down one strong rebuttal you hear.

Debate Round Structure

1. Opening claims: each side gets 30 seconds per speaker

2. Evidence round: each side gets 45 seconds per speaker

3. Rebuttal round: each side gets 45 seconds per speaker

4. Closing round: each side gets 20 seconds per speaker

• Say: During rebuttal, do not repeat your first point. You must respond to something the other side actually said. If you are listening, write down the strongest points you hear and why they are effective.

• Say: When your round ends, pause, breathe, and listen to the next speaker. If you are not speaking, your job is still active: track one strong rebuttal and what made it effective.

• Ask: What was the strongest argument you heard on either side?

  • The strongest argument I heard was that Mama was right because she saw the family “going backwards” and believed someone had to act before things got worse. That argument was strong because the speaker connected Mama’s decision to both the cramped apartment and the family’s emotional pressure.

• Ask: Did any rebuttal make you rethink your position, even a little? What changed your thinking?

• A rebuttal made me rethink my position when someone said Walter deserved consultation, but the family’s housing choices were already limited by segregation and money. That changed my thinking because it showed Mama’s decision was not just about control; it was also about urgency and survival.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Students now step back from the debate itself and reflect on how they used claims, evidence, and rebuttal. This reflection keeps the focus on growth in speaking, listening, and argument; not just on “winning.”

Quick Write

Say these Directions: In your journal, reflect on your own debating today. Name one thing you will do differently in the next debate, and use one moment from your own speaking and one strong rebuttal you heard today to explain your plan.

• Ask: What will you do differently in the next debate?

  • In the next debate, I will make my rebuttal more direct. Today I noticed that I sometimes repeated my claim instead of answering the other side, but I heard one student say, “I hear your point; however . . .” and then use the scene where Mama says the family was going backward. Next time I want to answer the other side first and then explain why my evidence is stronger.

Connection to Future Learning

Today’s structured debate helped students practice the same moves they will need in their research argument: clear claim, relevant evidence, counterclaim, and rebuttal. In the next lessons, students will keep building from oral argument into more formal analytical and research-based writing about dreams, systems, and fairness.

Instruct students to reread the scene in A Raisin in the Sun where Mr. Lindner visits the Younger family and Walter makes his final decision at the end of the play.

Ask students to also jot down one line or moment that shows dignity under pressure and one question they still have about the family’s choice.